Employee Spotlight: Brian Beach

Synergy’s Employee Spotlight series profiles some of the best and brightest of Syniverse who make mobile work for our customers around the world.

What’s your title and role at Syniverse?
I’m Director of IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) Services at our Tampa office. I oversee the IMS services and enabling technologies that reside on our IPX network – including VoLTE (Voice over LTE), VoWiFi (Voice over Wi-Fi), RCS (Rich Communications Services), video and routing. We focus on products to address IMS interconnect, roaming, hosted cloud services and ENUM (Electronic NUMbering).

How long have you been at Syniverse?
I just hit my 10th anniversary! Prior to being in our Connected LTE line of business, I worked in our research and development groups, planning, building, and evangelizing new products and services. I’ve been in my current role for about five months and seen a rapid rise in demand for IMS services in just this short time.

What are you working on this month?
VoLTE, VoWiFi and RCS are all hot topics right now. We’re seeing a lot of IMS cloud interest from typical Tier 3 operators as predicted, but we’re also seeing interest from customers we weren’t expecting. For example, we’ve been working with our MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) teams to put together an end-to-end solution for a Wi-Fi first play to cable operators. It has resonated well, and we’re seeing some large customers showing interest now. ENUM is also getting a lot of attention.

What’s one of the most valuable lessons you’ve gained during your career in mobile?
You can’t sit still! When you think of some of the giants of the tech industry that have fallen by the wayside by failing to keep up with the latest pace of innovation, it tells you that in this industry you have to be fast, agile and innovative. The secret is to find the right balance in ensuring we meet our current customer demands with strategizing to find the new and innovative solutions they will need in the future.

What’s been one of your best moments at Syniverse?
Being part of a great team that won first place for a CTO Technical Innovation Award in 2012 for Wi-Fi Talk & Text was a peak accomplishment for me. This service allowed smaller, Tier 3 operators to leverage Wi-Fi as an alternative method for filling holes in coverage and reducing roaming fees.

What’s one of the best things about working at Syniverse?
I always feel very privileged when I have the opportunity to discuss solutions with some of the largest and most innovative companies in the world. It makes you realize what a global company we work for, and that we’re right in the middle of how communications shape the human existence.

Tell us about your mobile lifestyle. What kind of mobile phone do you use?
I’ve gone through the gamut – flip phones, BlackBerry phones, Android phones and, now, iPhones. My current phone is an iPhone 6S.

What’s your favorite app or tool on your phone?
When not at Syniverse, I’m a musician and performer, so for me, my favorite apps are Garage Band, Virtuoso, and my voice recorder. I’m constantly using this last tool when working out parts for my next gig.

In the last year, what’s the longest you’ve gone without using your phone?
I honestly can’t remember, but I’m sure it was no longer than a few hours. Probably the same amount of time as those instances when I’ve been without my wallet and keys.

What do you like to do outside of work?
As I mentioned, I’m a musician and performer. For the last five years, I’ve been very active in community theater, and particularly musicals. I’ve been blessed to have some fantastic roles, including Jean Valjean (Les Miserables) and Curly McClain (Oklahoma!), and I’m currently playing Jesus in New Tampa Players’ upcoming production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Performing on stage is a great way to let off steam, but it also allows you to sharpen your communication skills, which can be applied in a variety of settings. My first love will always be music, and being able to leverage my talents in this way has brought a lot of joy and satisfaction to my life.